Blades
by TigerstripeCrayon
Summary: Both had lost, and they were finding the answer in their blades. Sequel to Notice Me, so go and read that first if you haven't. Takes place during Shippuden. Mostly Sasu/Oc.
1. Reminder

Disclaimer: I don't Naruto, I never have owned Naruto, and I never will own Naruto.

I was travelling on my way to finish my revenge. Though being interrupted wasn't exactly in my plans…

"Where do you think you're going?"

I turned towards the voice, finding something familiar in it that I couldn't place.

On a rock just across the path from me sat a girl with long dark brown hair, bangs hanging in her eyes. She stared me down with beautiful brown eyes. Eyes that I had promised myself that wouldn't affect me.

Mostly because I had thought they were gone.

This person looked exactly how I imagined Rosuto would have if she had lived to fifteen, but that was impossible, she had died nearly three years ago.

"What?" I asked coolly. Where were Karin and Suigetsu? Damn, I really didn't want to deal with this now. "You're going to try to capture me?"

She slid off the rock and walked over to me. She walked differently than I remembered, not confident, but defiantly unafraid, unlike before. Her hips swayed slightly with her more womanly form. I mentally slapped myself. Since when was I a pervert?

Suddenly she was right in front of me, face to face. I could feel her breath on my face, and for the first time in a long time, my mind was uncomfortably blank.

"No, I didn't come to capture you." She answered my originally rhetorical question. She paused searching my face, before locking with my eyes again. "Did you completely forget what I told you?" She whispered.

Of course I remembered, I could recite almost anything she had ever told me from memory. But I didn't know exactly which words she meant, so I remained silent.

She answered for me, "That time on the bridge, it's exactly like that. You're being completely stupid and selfish, throwing away everyone's feelings just for your own selfish whim. A whim that's just to fulfill your feelings on a past experience, something you think will make you feel better when it's something from long ago, that can't be resolved. You can't fix the past. You're leaving everyone, but by staying alive, you're leaving them with the small shred of hope that they can win you back. It's killing them inside. Normally I wouldn't care at all, since it's your own business, but it's affected the people _I_ care about, and that's when it becomes my business. I'm not going to let you keep ruining the lives of people who don't even know you or don't care about you much because they care about the people chasing after you." She hadn't glared once during her lecture, but just kept a firm look. "Grow up Sasuke, or next time, I'm going to so much as push you off that bridge myself."

Before I could respond to the most words she's ever spoken to me at once, she had suddenly turned on her heel and disappeared into the forest surrounding the path.

I didn't realize I was staring at where she had disappeared until Suigetsu came up and waved his hand in front of my face and called in my ear.


	2. Distracted

Disclaimer: Does it seem like I can speak Japanese? I didn't think so.

I had found Solace in a blade. Now, not in the way you're thinking. I obviously used Chidori quite a bit, and I had learned to develop it so I could use it on my katana, but I did use it on its own too. It allowed me to escape and clear my head, with only the sound of the blade swishing through the air, although sometimes there was screams if I was facing an opponent. I had learned to block those out though, since I would not show mercy to them. I was unaffected by their sounds of pain.

I loved the calmness it brought me, where my blade blocked out everything else, where focusing on it allowed me to forget any and all of my problems.

This was the first time it wasn't working.

All I could imagine was that dark brown hair, a shade that was almost black, but still obviously recognizable as brown. And sometimes I would imagine it stained with blood, her own blood. Sometimes I even imagined I was the one who had drawn that blood.

It haunted me, and I hated it. I needed to focus if I was going to kill Itachi, but even after all this time, she seemed to swamp my mind.

I grunted and threw my katana, ending up getting it stuck in the trunk of a tree.

Suigetsu dropped the apple he was about to eat, looking up at the sword that was sticking out of the tree a few feet above his head. He turned back to me with an amused look. Ugh, sometimes I hated his sarcasm, and I most defiantly _wasn't_ in the mood.

"What're you so angry about? I don't think I've seen you with this much emotion since… ever." He commented, tapping his finger on his chin with a thoughtful expression on his face, and fake biting his lip, considering if he really bit it he would bleed.

Karin watched from her own place resting against a tree, but unlike Suigetsu, she was standing and only leaning against the tree. "Sasuke-kun, what's wrong? Maybe I can help you if you tell me." She fluttered her eyelashes in what I guessed was supposed to be in a seductive way, but all it did was make me want to throw up.

I just grunted, stalking over to Suigetsu and pulling my sword out of the tree a little too forcefully. I almost stumbled back, and I growled with annoyance, before shoving my sword into its sheath.

"C'mon," I ordered, starting to walk out of the clearing, hearing Suigetsu's complaints and Karin scolding (screaming at) him.

Again, I always got the loud team mates.


	3. The Weak Wait

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto in any way, shape, or form.

Waiting. Always waiting. To shine, to be strong, to finally be seen. Just waiting. Always working, but no one ever sees. No one sees me no matter what I do. Why? Why so alone?

The water of the creek below me glittered from the light that had managed to sneak between the leaves of the trees, reflecting off the surface. This was all I had, nature and myself. I loved nature, but at the same time I hated it. All the time I spent with it was just a constant reminder of everything else I lacked.

Water fell from my eye, glittering before it fell into the other water, a small piece of salt water lost among the fresh, forgotten and weak, unneeded and unable to belong.

Nothing was real anymore, except the pain. People who wanted to be my friend were only pretending. I was in last place, a failure. I only just managed to keep up, and even that didn't seem to be keeping. I'd already lost everyone, so why should it matter if I lose anymore?

I clenched my hands into fists, gritting my teeth. Why was I so weak? I'm just crying over nothing, like always.

I stood up from the log I was sitting on. I hadn't come here since Hikoya's death, because I felt this was our place.

Turning around, I kicked the log I had just been sitting on a moment before. It rolled over (but not before leaving me with a throbbing foot first), revealing a small cavern beneath it. Puzzled, I kneeled on the ground to investigate further.

Just barely poking out of the dirt, was a rusty metal box. Digging with my hands, I managed to free it, wedging it out of the ground. Sitting back down, I set the box in my lap.

I fiddled with the lock for a moment, before I managed to pull it open.

The sight almost made me want to close it right away.

Sitting in the box was a rose, blackened from time. It had barely managed to keep shape. Underneath that sat a series of picture frames, of my team when we were mere rookies, or just of Hikoya and me. There was also a scarf in there, the same scarf I had lent to Hikoya when he had gotten sick during a mission that was over a series of days.

And on top of it all, scrawled in the neatest writing Hikoya could manage, was a small note on a small piece of white paper that said 'Be strong'.

He must have planned to show this to me, but then we had gotten the mission. I felt like breaking down and crumbling down to nothing, like how I was right after Hikoya died.

Weak, weak. Only ever weak. This proved it. I couldn't handle meeting up with my past. Nothing had changed, I was as afraid as ever. I had broken the promise I made with Hikoya, his death wish.

Gently, I closed the box and clasped it, placing it back where I had found it, before rolling the log back into place. Hikoya had meant only for me to find it, and I meant to keep it that way. I knew I maybe should have taken it home for safe keeping, but oddly enough, it seemed to belong here, with my memories and nature. In the only place Hikoya and I ever truly felt at peace, the only place we could truly be ourselves and speak our minds.

It wasn't that anymore. I didn't have anyone to talk to; I didn't have anyone at all.

Torture of the emotions, mind, and soul. It hit you harder than any physical pain anyone could inflict, even death.


	4. Punched on a Cheer Quest

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, however, I _do_ own my OC's, so no-take-y's! Yeah, I fail. =P Anyway, on with the story!

"Hey, Tuyteri!" I shouted as Naruto and I went on one of many tries of trying to cheer up the stubbornly un-cheer-able boy.

Tuyteri grunted, suddenly turning down a different street which I had a hunch wasn't his originally planned route.

Naruto and I caught up to him, and I slung an arm around his shoulders.

"What's up?" I asked, grinning cheerfully. Naruto grinned on his other side, and I couldn't help but notice it looked like the Cheshire cat. I hoped I didn't look like that.

Tuyteri merely grunted.

"Aw, C'mon, cheer up!" Naruto exclaimed, grinning more broadly and gesturing wildly.

Tuyteri grunted again. "Go away."

Naruto and I flashed each other a frown. This was harder than we thought.

Tuyteri pulled my arm off his shoulder, and started to walk off again.

"Wait up!" We both called, chasing after him. Tuyteri spun around, crossing his arms and stopping in the middle of the path, glaring at us.

"Whoa, calm down there dude." Naruto said as we met up with him. Tuyteri just continued to glare.

"Go bug someone else." He said, looking back and forth between me and Naruto.

Naruto and I looked between ourselves again. "Like who?"

Tuyteri rolled his eyes. "Just not me,"

I huffed, but pulled Naruto off anyway, but not before we heard someone.

"C'mon Tuyteri," The voice was icy, but defiantly feminine. Naruto and I both spun around, donning devious grins as we approached Tuyteri and his female 'friend'.

"Who's this?" I asked, nudging Tuyteri, who glared at the space in front of him.

The girl looked at me. She had the most beautiful brown eyes... Bad Kiba! I mentally slapped myself. I think about woman too much…

She turned back to Tuyteri. "Let's go." She seemed to be completely ignoring us, which pissed me off.

"Sorry," I said, grinning my devious grin even more broadly as I slung my arm around Tuyteri's shoulders again. "He's coming with us."

The girl looked me over, as Tuyteri wriggled out from underneath my arm, leaving it hanging at my side.

Before I knew it, my nose was throbbing. Damn, she'd _punched _me! Crazy bitch…

"What the hell?!" I screamed at her as I held my nose, which was starting to leak blood.

"He died." She whispered as she stared at the ground, before grabbing Tuyteri's arm and pulling him off down the road, which Tuyteri didn't seem too upset about.

Naruto was laughing at me, but I merely glared at him.

"Shut up, I could beat up that bitch any day." I snapped.

Naruto continued to laugh. "Sure, especially when we don't know anything about her, including her fighting style."

I looked down the road at where she had disappeared. I may know nothing now, but I could change that.


	5. Wicked Women Love Swords

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, it would have a really crappy plot line and be really cliche`. So yeah, let's all be glad I don't.

Sweet, sweet sword. Wind whips past the blade, leaving destruction behind for anything that got in its way. I've worked for this… The ability to bring that destruction, control the metal that can save a life or take one.

Everyone had their motivation. Sasuke his revenge, Naruto his will to prove, Sakura her wish to protect, and so many others.

Mine? It was lying in the Konoha graveyard.

Shinobi lose their lives everyday, but somehow I knew this was different. It always had been. They weren't enemies that had killed in a battle created by leaders, blood boiling over time for some petty little selfish problem. No, this was so much more.

The sword, it was my only option. It was what I had been raised to do, expected to use, so why shouldn't I? Even if the person I was trying to kill was probably just as skilled if not more so, I was determined. I shouldn't have more skill for only practicing for around three years compared to a veteran who had been using it their whole life, but I had a goal. I had things that they didn't have, and that was what made me come to the training grounds every day, early morning to late at night, training until I could barely walk.

It may sound twisted and wrong, but I wanted to hear them scream. Hear them scream the very same screams they inflicted on my ears long ago. The screams they forced from the throats of the others. And I intended to get them.

Tuyteri watched me as I swung my katana with a grace partly practiced, partly skill, and partly born with. I was born to hold a blade, let it become part of me, not just a weapon. When the blade pierced an enemy, I felt it. That was the downside; that I always had to feel my enemy's life taken from the metal in my hands. But it let me become merciless, so that when I found them, I would make them scream.

Could Hikoya see me now? I think he would be scared by what he saw. I was no longer the shy, gentle girl he knew. This was something I hated, but knew was a necessary transformation.

My name meant lost. And so long I had been lost to a purpose, but I had found it. I was lost no more, and I would let nothing distract me.

Tuyteri flicked the kunai a kunai at me, which my blade deflected easily. Tuyteri had a talent for stealth, managing to be able to pull out a weapon or make hand signs without notice, only alerting you when the attack came, death or defend.

"I think his death was good for you," He spoke, "It made you strong."

I stared ahead, blanking the emotion I felt. I knew of who he spoke, but I felt he was wrong. His death was nowhere near good for me, since it broke me down to nothing. Physically, externally, I seemed strong. But if you were to manage to get to me emotionally, I was the weakest of everyone our age.

His death killed me. I was only walking because I had something I needed to complete.

Tuyteri and I were true ninjas. Emotionless, ruthless, merciless. Only, on the inside, I think we were weakest. Tuyteri had only ever had Hikoya and I, and though he would never admit it, the so-called genius was very close to the bumbling brown haired baka. We both were. Tuyteri only had me now, and I only had him. He was more open now, but I think that might have only been because I had become stronger after Hikoya's death from my constant training, so Tuyteri considered me 'worthy' of his attention.

The blade swiped down through the air again, sending a kunai clattering to the ground. Shortly after, a rain of weapons followed, which my katana blocked. I had worked for this.

Tuyteri stood, twirling a kunai around his fingers before pocketing it in his weapon's pouch. Just as he was about to leave however, the less welcome babbling brown haired baka came to our training ground. I didn't blame him for Hikoya's death, but I held a defiant grudge from that day. Who ran away just to complete a mission, thinking they could handle it and that their team mates would follow them no matter what? Hikoya had been bossy at first, but at least he wasn't stupid. Not in battle.

Kiba smiled brightly at me, but I just stared back at him with a bored expression. He frowned as he realised his friendly attitude wouldn't work on me either.

"Hi!" He greeted, smiling. He jogged up to Tuyteri, who took a few measured steps back. Tuyteri was still shorter than all the other guys, but not as much as he used to be. I was still slightly taller than him, but he was taller than Hinata.

Tuyteri pulled out a kunai, pretending to be practicing. Kiba frowned, but spotted me again, and grinned broadly as he jogged over to me.

I wonder if he noticed the sword in my hand? Probably not.

"So…" He started when he had reached me. "What's going on between Tuyteri and you?"

I rolled my eyes. Idiot had no idea who I was. Figures.

I walked off, going to where Tuyteri was. Discreetly, I sheathed my sword along the way.

I pulled my own set of kunai out, one between each of my fingers (Besides my thumbs) like claws.

I ran at Tuyteri, and he threw a kunai at me, and I ducked into a roll, before standing up again, having barely lost any speed. I was probably the most skilled female of my age in taijutsu, since I had few ninjutsus. Tuyteri knew this however, so he knew it was better to use weapons and not let me get close. I was mostly a close-range fighter, and if you let me get that close, there could be deadly consequences.

Tuyteri threw a series of kunai in a line, and I threw a few of my own to block most, but had to jump to avoid the last one. Tuyteri was backing up, while still slowing my charge.

Suddenly, I bit my thumb, drawing blood. Tuyteri's eyes grew wide.

"Fine, fine, I give up." He grunted. I smirked, resisting the smile I would've given as a Genin.

Kiba watched with awe, and I turned and walked over to him with Tuyteri following closely after.

"Sorry, what did you want?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. Tuyteri smirked at my playful behaviour from his place standing next to me.

Kiba just grunted something unintelligible, staring at me with something unreadable flickering in his eyes. Something like… Hunger. Bastard had to notice me now, huh? When I'd turned from affection and obsession to hate and avoidance? How did he not notice his rival was gone?

Stupid, perverted, dog boy.

I growled at him, glaring one of my few glares. I was cold and reserved, but rarely angered. Tuyteri knew me well, and the wrath I could manage when pissed off. He had learned it long, long ago along with Hikoya, back when we were Genin,

He pulled weakly at my arm, muttering some excuse I didn't catch.

"Is she you girlfriend, Tuyteri?"

That was it! I'd had enough of this idiotic dog!

He saw one look at my face, and started to back away, but it was too late. I grabbed his arm, wrenching him towards me and kneeing him in an *ahem* _delicate_ area.

Kiba choked out some sort of sound and cowered onto the ground, covering said area.

"Bitch, what was that for?" He snapped.

"I thought you were the bitch, dog boy. Or should I say dog girl?" I taunted as I leaned over him, glaring. Tuyteri just stared at me. Rarely did I lose my cool, and Tuyteri knew of my previous crush and friendship with Kiba, so it was rather unlikely I would attack him. Rather the opposite, really.

Kiba glared at me.

"What, not upset? I thought you would be, after all, that's a lot like something Hikoya would say." I snapped, walking off and leaving an open-mouthed Kiba behind. Tuyteri followed me nervously. "Did I just do what I think I did?" I asked him.

Tuyteri nodded.

Damn, this was _not_ good. Why couldn't I have just blended into the background like I always did, like I always had for so long?

Kiba recovered and I could hear his footsteps as he chased after us. I stopped dead in the road, my hands clenching into fists. Tuyteri watched me with a mix of worry and curiosity.

Why did he have to be so damn much like Hikoya?

The sound of footsteps slowed as he grew nearer.

"What…?" He started to ask, and I could only guess what he was doing, because I stared at the ground, trying to push back tears. I wouldn't cry. He wouldn't want me to. "What's up with bitch?" He asked.

I could tell Tuyteri was about to speak, but I cut him off. "Idiot," I choked out, "you don't remember."

I hated him a little for that reason, and I hated myself that I was the opposite. It was my curse. I remembered everything too well, every pain, and every person I'd lost, everything that could and had hurt me.

"Remember?" He questioned, but he didn't get an answer. I moved into the trees, my talent of invisibility slipping into place.

The only one who had ever been able to find when I was invisible was gone. No one would ever find me again.

I wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.


	6. The Light Against the Dark

Author's note: This Chapter is on Rosuto's past, this is _not_ in the present. Just didn't want this to be too consfusing. Now that that's cleared up, enjoy!

Disclaimer: Trust me, if you saw how badly I draw, you would know I don't own Naruto.

After all, a light always shines brighter against darkness.

She was everything I ever wanted to be, the envy of nearly everyone who knew her, but she was still loved more greatly than she knew. When you were always in the spotlight, you didn't know what it was like in the shadows, or in the crowd watching by. Everyone always wanted to have the same talent, to be loved and noticed by anyone they wanted.

She was everything I couldn't be, everything I wanted to be, and still more. She tortured me. And I still loved her.

I followed her, always at her side as the obedient little twin I was. You rarely saw one of us without the other, but it was always my sister calling the shots. She was brilliant, mischievous, and a natural leader. I was shy, her ever present shadow that let her speak for me and followed without complaint. It surprised people on how we were identical on appearance, yet so radically different in personality. I was never noticed though, and my sister's name always came first, my name following only as an afterthought, a simple polite gesture to include my name.

All my life, I had never fit anywhere.

My sister and I played pranks frequently, and we were closer than it seemed any two people could be, having an unexplainable talent for being able to sense our twin's emotions or situation. If one of us was in trouble, you could count on the other appearing shortly after to get the former out of it. Usually I was the one who needed getting out of, since my sister had amazing charm over people that let her get away with nearly everything, with only a sharp word. She always appeared when I needed it, helping me so I too only received the simple sharp word. If anyone threatened one of us, they threatened both of us. My sister stood by me, even when she could've left me in the dust and been so much stronger, had better friends. She was the more widely known of the two of us, being the heir since she was older by three minutes.

Then our brother came along, a small wriggling mass of wrinkly pink skin and soft brown fuzz of hair. My sister immediately called him the ugly troll-like welt of the family. We both loved him.

He turned out to be slightly quieter than me, and held my manners, but he had the charm and short temper of my sister. He tagged along after us a lot, but my sister brushed him off with distaste. She didn't like having to look after our younger counterpart. In the end however, he ended up coming along, stopping whatever prank my sister had planned. He was probably the end of that habit.

My sister had a dream to become a ninja. It didn't appeal to me quite as much as it did to her, but as the loyal twin and follower I was, I entered. We always did everything together, and I wasn't willing to let my sister go just yet.

My sister immediately excelled in the Academy, learning practically everything from just hearing it once. I knew of this talent of hers, but neither of us ever thought much of it. My sister never had been too interested in school, so she usually put her intellect into our pranks. But now that we were in the Academy, her brilliance was more than known. They put my sister in higher grades, and she still managed to be the best in the class.

This is when I lost my sister. Everyone loved her so much, and she suddenly got a lot of attention. Even those who were jealous of her still acted nice to her, considering she could weld amazing power over them. Suddenly, I had no twin, and my little brother got his own friends, or only ever tagged along after my sister.

Twice, I'd had that fatal connection that people rarely ever had in a lifetime. Twice, I'd lost the connection. The closer you get to a person, the harder you break when you lose them. I envied people like Naruto, who could grow close to anyone and everyone, and change them all. He never had to endure losing one of those people, not in the way I had.

I had a skill for losing things.

My sister may have forgotten me, but I never forgot her. I always watched her, and though I wished to have her back, I still wished her luck.

It was around this time when my father started to get into alcohol. He would come home, drunk. And when he was drunk, he became violent. My mother hated seeing him when he was in a state like that, and she would disappear. That left us alone with father.

Sister would try everything she could to stop him, but it was no use. She was strong, but she wasn't a match for our father. It started to become routine, and my sister and I would hide our little brother, and take the blows. To anyone outside, we seemed like a perfect little family, but inside we were already so broken no one could fix us.

Then father came home earlier than usual, but more drunken. We had no time to hide our little brother, so I just hid his small frame behind my own, and hoped for the best.

He was much more violent that night. He used weapons, rather than fists. My sister stood no chance, since our family was renowned for our still with weaponry. I tried to protect my brother, and both of us ended up horribly scarred.

I was the only one who survived, but my parents don't know that. They fled after that night. Our family also used poison, mainly a certain kind that was used by our family. Anyone who used it was raised to be immune to the poison. My sister hated our family, so she didn't want to use any of our family's techniques and such. I was never strong enough, so to become strong, I had opted to using the family techniques. My brother was too young to be using techniques yet.

So out of envy, out of pure dumb luck, I survived over my siblings. Only because I had a slight immunity to our poison.

I never told anyone what really happened. I only told the ANBU who investigated the case that my parents came home late, and probably saw our unconscious bodies and thought we were all dead. They then ran to try to catch the people who did this. They were dubbed heroes, lost in action.

Everyone forgot my sister after that, but I never did. No one remembered the Hoshimyo name, or the young prodigy. I completely disappeared.

I'm still invisible. I always have been. I guess it's good like that, since you don't mind being in the dark so much if you've never been in the sunlight.

True, a light shines brighter against a dark background, but when the light is gone, the darkness disappears completely.


	7. Black & White

Lost.

Lost in the Darkness, lost within myself. Just lost. Always, always lost.

My parents had named me rather appropriately, don't you think?

Although, I guess you have to be somewhere, or belong somewhere to be lost. I never had. You don't know what it's like to be found if you never have been, if you've always been lost, I suppose you've always been found. Where you belong is to be lost.

Tuyteri's voice breaks the peace of my mind, as he tells me I need to stop sleeping, and get to work. I never sleep, is what I think, I haven't slept since that night. A ninja is always alert, even if they seem not to be.

None the less, my eyes open to be met with black and white. Black and white of the light spattered across the ground, shadow or light in random patterns from being blocked from the sun by the leaves above. The black and white of Tuyteri; his hair black in color but shining white with light, and his eyes that are dark but shine with light, a humour only I can see. The black and white of my mind; as I draw in all of these things, mixing with the dark recesses of my mind and the bright of my happy memories. Everything is black and white to me; I have never truly seen color. Yes, it is there, but never meant for my eyes to see.

Tuyteri rolls his eyes at my laziness, muttering something under his breath that I can't catch. Whether it is because my mind is slow, or because it is much too soft for me to hear, I do not know. I always live in this groggy state, where I look aware, but I am not. Stuck between sleep and consciousness, wanting to be one or the other, yet my mind and body will not let me. Everything is gradual, but I myself never change, so I am stuck in the limbo between worlds.

I roll to my feet, engaging myself in the routine I use so much my body could do it asleep. This is good, not to have to think. It slows one down, brings in your mortal mind and feelings, which can determine the outcome of a fight being a victory or a loss. Everything I've done is to end up in this almost robotic state, when thinking is absurd, yet you are nearly unbeatable; a bystander in your own mind.

Tuyteri throws kunai at me, but my body is quicker. I block his weapons with some of my own, sending twice the amount of what he sent to me clattering to the ground. The movement comes, and I barely feel it, the sounds of the outcome one of my only rewards and indications that any movement had been made. I am a stranger in my own body, but if this is what it takes to win, I'll do it.

Another voice enters my ears, causing Tuyteri to stop. My battle-made self turns toward the sound as well, and I see messy brown hair and a giant white dog.

I take over again, no longer a robot made from practice. Why does he have to come now? I don't want to deal with this. I want to be a robot again, with no emotions on the matter, dealing with all problems with a simple physical movement and little thought.

"What?" Tuyteri asked, scowling. Kiba ignored him, stalking up to me with his dog at his heels.

I turned away from him, pulling out kunai and practicing my targets with them. Just as I am about to throw another, however, he grabs my wrist and stops my movement. I watch his hand with blank eyes. Stupid dog, he thinks this will get him what he wants? After Sasuke, Kiba was the object of girls throughout Konoha (though not quite as popular), so he probably thought I liked him too.

A simple movement, and hand slips out of his grip. I stalk forward and pull the kunai from the target, shoving them in my weapons pouch before walking away.

I could feel their eyes on my back. One animalistic, two human. One worry, one curiosity and hunger, and the other mere watching because I am moving.

My hand moves subconsciously moves to rest on my sword hilt, but it only touched the handle of the weapon before I catch myself and pull it away. But as the ninja and friend he is, Tuyteri does not miss the movement, and knows the feelings behind it. He suddenly strikes up a conversation with the dog master, trying to distract him.

I still feel the eyes watching me. They melt from curiosity to something else, something familiar. I miss the feeling of this kind of gaze, for I have not felt it for so long.

No, I can not let myself grow close to someone again. Ninja's are heartless, and so are avengers. I think I'm finally beginning to understand Sasuke.


	8. A Bridge

We travel through the trees, but I am not truly there. My mind is elsewhere, wandering without reason.

I want to think that I am finally home, but I know this is not true. This not my home anymore, it never has been. It hasn't been my home since it wasn't my family's home. I was just a stranger in a world where I didn't belong.

Still, I couldn't help but feel oddly excited. This however was stopped with uncomfortable feeling in my stomach that came with the thought that we had come to get the Kyuubi, and we might just have to kill all of Konoha to get it. I'd just have to hope she was on a mission though.

We skidded to a stop as the gates came into sight, and I signalled for us all to split up. Suigetsu seemed eager to chop someone up, Jugo seemed relatively bored, and Karin seemed upset that she had to leave me. However, I needed them all out of my way.

Karin had already told me of the Kyuubi's location beforehand, and had also warned me that he was surrounded. Chances are, they either knew we were coming, or were just being cautious, considering the times we were in. Either way, this was going to be neither pretty nor easy.

I landed behind them at their place alone on a training field. Only my age mates surrounded him, and multiple pairs of eyes turned to met mine. Green, Blue; Black, Black, White; Black, Blue, Black; Black. The people had changed physically, but had not mentally. I could read each of their emotions, all of their thoughts, simply from their eyes. Except Shino, but he wore sunglasses.

But there was one color missing. Chocolate Brown, the color I searched for everywhere; that swamped my mind when it had nothing to think of.

In one swift movement that all the eyes followed, I had my hand on the sheath of my sword, and had pulled it from its case. Naruto's azure eyes hardened into a glare.

I raised the cool metal to my neck.

I could make them stop worrying; make them stop chasing me; let them go on in their lives if I did this one simple task. With this, maybe I could finally earn her respect and attention.

My hands would not move though. I tried to force them to. I was merciless, so why couldn't I be merciless to even myself? She was right all along, I was selfish, and I couldn't kill myself.

I tried to make the blade move closer, and then I could feel the cool of the metal on my skin. Just like the river however, the sensation only lasted a few moments, before the blade was pulled away from my neck. I didn't realise my eyes had been closed until they snapped open with the withdrawal of the metal. I could see hands on the handle of my katana, gently pulling it away from me.

I spun around to face the person, only to drown in Chocolate.

She held my blade, and gently slipped in away from my grip, though our eyes never stopped watching each other's. She took a step towards me, and I could feel her warmth. I could hear the soft sound of metal running along metal or plastic as she sheathed my katana, yet she didn't step back.

I wasn't sure who started it, but suddenly, all I knew was that my lips were against hers. My eyes closed, blocking out the beautiful chocolate brown, though it stayed burned in my mind.

Everything felt right again, as if nothing had ever gone wrong. I could smell my mother's cookies, and felt warm. The feeling was like I had been outside in the cold, not realising I was cold until I came inside.

Until I came home. Home. I was home.

It was like that time in the closet, the most amazing sensation, but somehow I felt even more than that. She was kissing back.


	9. Chocolate Brown

We travel through the trees, but I am not truly there. My mind is elsewhere, wandering without reason.

I want to think that I am finally home, but I know this is not true. This not my home anymore, it never has been. It hasn't been my home since it wasn't my family's home. I was just a stranger in a world where I didn't belong.

Still, I couldn't help but feel oddly excited. This however was stopped with uncomfortable feeling in my stomach that came with the thought that we had come to get the Kyuubi, and we might just have to kill all of Konoha to get it. I'd just have to hope she was on a mission though.

We skidded to a stop as the gates came into sight, and I signalled for us all to split up. Suigetsu seemed eager to chop someone up, Jugo seemed relatively bored, and Karin seemed upset that she had to leave me. However, I needed them all out of my way.

Karin had already told me of the Kyuubi's location beforehand, and had also warned me that he was surrounded. Chances are, they either knew we were coming, or were just being cautious, considering the times we were in. Either way, this was going to be neither pretty nor easy.

I landed behind them at their place alone on a training field. Only my age mates surrounded him, and multiple pairs of eyes turned to met mine. Green, Blue; Black, Black, White; Black, Blue, Black; Black. The people had changed physically, but had not mentally. I could read each of their emotions, all of their thoughts, simply from their eyes. Except Shino, but he wore sunglasses.

But there was one color missing. Chocolate Brown, the color I searched for everywhere; that swamped my mind when it had nothing to think of.

In one swift movement that all the eyes followed, I had my hand on the sheath of my sword, and had pulled it from its case. Naruto's azure eyes hardened into a glare.

I raised the cool metal to my neck.

I could make them stop worrying; make them stop chasing me; let them go on in their lives if I did this one simple task. With this, maybe I could finally earn her respect and attention.

My hands would not move though. I tried to force them to. I was merciless, so why couldn't I be merciless to even myself? She was right all along, I was selfish, and I couldn't kill myself.

I tried to make the blade move closer, and then I could feel the cool of the metal on my skin. Just like the river however, the sensation only lasted a few moments, before the blade was pulled away from my neck. I didn't realise my eyes had been closed until they snapped open with the withdrawal of the metal. I could see hands on the handle of my katana, gently pulling it away from me.

I spun around to face the person, only to drown in Chocolate.

She held my blade, and gently slipped it away from my grip, though our eyes never stopped watching each other's. She took a step towards me, and I could feel her warmth. I could hear the soft sound of metal running along metal or plastic as she sheathed my katana, yet she didn't step back.

I wasn't sure who started it, but suddenly, all I knew was that my lips were against hers. My eyes closed, blocking out the beautiful chocolate brown, though it stayed burned in my mind.

Everything felt right again, as if nothing had ever gone wrong. I could smell my mother's cookies, and felt warm. The feeling was like I had been outside in the cold, not realising I was cold until I came inside.

Until I came home. Home. I was home.

It was like that time in the closet, the most amazing sensation, but somehow I felt even more than that. She was kissing back.


	10. Confusion

Everything is upside down, inside out, and thrown around. Nothing makes sense, and I feel like it's all a lie, all a dream. I'm not sure if now is reality or the dream. I think this must be a dream. Nothing can be this beautiful.

He tells me he loves me, that he's always loved me. I don't believe him. You can't love something you can't see. Still, he insists. He whispers soft words I never thought possible of the stoic boy, trying to wipe away all of my doubt and unhappiness. He says he loves to see me smile.

I don't know if I love him. I don't think I can. I lost love long ago; It's like a distant memory, of a place from a dream you felt was real when you had it, but now realise is absurdly surreal. Everything in my life feels like this. Still, if this is a dream, I don't think I want to wake up. Everything is nicer, less cruel than the reality I have grown to know.

He knows me better than I want him to. He knows all of this already. He knows I doubt him. He knows everything, except my past. I know some things about him too. I know he worries, more than he cares to admit. I know that I'm breaking him with every look, because I don't return the same feelings he has.

Nothing makes sense. He could have close to any girl in Konoha, yet he chooses me. He tells me I'm the only one worthy, and that he isn't deserving of me. This when I want to wake up. I just want to train with Tuyteri, be the robotic fighting machine I created to rid of all of this. I don't want to deal with all of this confusion, all of these useless human emotions. I don't want to hurt him, but he's distracting me. He's getting between me and my goal, and being an avenger, I hoped he would understand that he had to step aside or I would make him get out of my way.

I stand outside; staring at the sky above as I slowly drown in my thoughts. Drowning can kill, as my thoughts are doing to me. Physically, I walk; mentally, I'm as good as gone. Only my goal keeps me alive, and I need nothing else. At least, that's what I convince myself.

I adjust the pack that is resting on my back. I was ready, whether or not no one agreed. Whether or not I would win or lose, if I was strong enough, I was ready. I was finally going to finish this.


	11. Drowned Rat

I decided to travel to where I had my last mission with Hikoya. I knew it wasn't much of a start, but it was the only lead I had.

So, of course, it was just my luck that it started to pour buckets.

I'd like to say I thought of it as some great ominous sign or something, but truly, all I noticed was that I was soaked to the bone and fricking _cold._

So yeah, there I am, trekking through the hills, with barely a lead as to where I'm going, and it's practically raining buckets on my head. I'd like to say it made me look all pretty and the rain sticking to my nice figure, but truly, I looked like crap. My eyes were watering from the rain and wind, and instead of getting all moist pretty-eyed, my face just gets all red and blotchy. My clothes stuck to me, making me look like an over-sized drowned rat than a beautiful, majestic ninja or whatever.

Yeah, I guess I'll stop my rant on the rain and get to the actual plot already.

God, I should've learned to track better.

Finally, along the dirt (now mud) road a cliff face jutted out over it. It was a nasty drop if you were anywhere along it, and even when you weren't at a height, there was always the defiant risk of falling onto the sharp rocks below and becoming a human kebab. I couldn't help but imagine drowned rat kebab, and should my head to try to clear the thoughts.

Obvious yet sheltered, and impossible to reach for any regular citizen to reach. It wasn't much, but like everything so far, it was all I had.

I walked up to the wall, grabbing onto a stone. I managed to haul myself from handhold to handold and foothold to foothold, but I had never been much of a climber, and I was making excruciatingly slow progress.

I gritted my teeth, and pulled off of the next rock with extra force that sent me flying up the face of the cliff, but not very far. As soon as I felt I was about to fall again, I sent chakra to my feet and planted them against the wall. My hood fell back and even more rain hit me in the face, causing me to splutter and make my eyes redder. Yup, drowned rat was defiantly a good description.

I gritted my teeth and started to walk up the wall as I had been taught, mostly focusing on my chakra. I never had been too skilled with chakra control, though I understood the concept perfectly. It was more the doing rather than seeing or explaining.

Anyway, there I was, walking up the side of a cliff face and feeling like a complete Spider-man wannabe.

Finally, the entrance was in sight. I was so excited, I nearly fell off the wall, but I caught myself before I could. Anxiousness swirled in my stomach like the flu, and I suddenly felt the urge to throw up. Yeah, obviously I was just as classy as I drowned rat as well.

The wall came into reach, and I didn't hesitate to grab it and haul myself over the ledge. I was glad to be out of the rain and no longer trying to get up a practically vertical, upside down or somewhere in-between wall with giant spikes sticking out of it just waiting for you to impale yourself on them.

Immediately, I could hear voices down the hall, and a cloaked figure swept out to meet me. They immediately looked me over, and I stared back with an unwavering, almost challenging gaze, though tired. Thunder boomed outside, and I jumped, but tried to stifle the movement in front of my opponent. They seemed almost unaware of the storm outside, and didn't give away anything that led me to believe they had noticed it at all.

All of a sudden, the figure pulled out a sword, but before they could fully pull it out, someone grabbed their arm.

"No need to be hasty, let's see what it wants first." The figure behind them spoke.

It? What was I, some kind of psychotic he-she animal?

You know what, don't answer that.

The person watched for a moment with expectant eyes, and I realised after a moment that they wanted me to stand and follow them. I did so, and stood eye-to-eye with the second cloaked figure, the more leader-ly one, and could see their eyes instead of just the slight reflection of them in the light of a lightning strike.

I was met chocolate brown.

Before I could either question or confirm my suspicions, the person turned and stalked down the hallway. The first figure watched me for a moment, before they too turned and disappeared down the hall and into even darker blackness. After a moment of hesitation, I reluctantly followed.

And so began my descent into hell.


	12. Swords Clash

The men were unusually quiet as we walked the lair; almost inhumanly so. It unnerved me, and spiked natural instincts rather than my ninja training, which wasn't good. Thinking could mean the difference between life and death.

Finally the two stopped, and I stumbled over myself so I didn't crash into them.

They flashed each other a look, before they opened they reached out and pushed the seemingly flawless wall, but revealed to be an illusion. The stone shimmered, and the two men stepped into it, and I scrambled to follow.

Inside was a room darker than the torch-lit hallways inside, as this room was only lit by the small, flickering light of candles, and even fewer for that matter. The only thing I could see was the small amount of light reflecting off people's eyes, which was an eerie effect.

"An intruder," The first man spoke, in a starling clear voice for the dark space. I hated this setting. It made me feel vulnerable.

"What do you want me to do?" A bored voice replied, sounding slightly upset.

The man was hesitant to reply. "They're… different."

Sure, now I'm 'they' instead of 'it', _and_ I'm different (which I'm sure they meant in a bad way). This place just keeps getting better and better.

Something moved in the darkness, what I guessed to be the source of the bored voice. Something touched my chin, and I gasped. What I now realized to be a hand jerked my chin up so that I was looking straight (though I hadn't realized I had been looking at the ground, it's hard to tell in the dark) ahead and into their eyes. Deep blue eyes looked straight back at me.

"What, this child?" The man behind the eyes laughed.

You could hear the shink of metal as two swords were drawn. In a clash of metal against metal, sparks flew and illuminated the air for a moment as I caught his katana against my own.

The light in his eyes betrayed his anger, and I knew this was not about to be pretty. His eyes strayed to the hand closer to him on the handle of the blade, the one that had my Konoha headband wrapped around it like a bracelet.

He bared his teeth, and sparks flashed again as I caught another blow he tried to swipe at me.

One man saw the trouble he was having and rushed in to help. There was about a dozen here, the same ninja that I had faced a few years back plus a few others, I guessed. This obviously was a slightly closer kind of group, where they didn't accept and trust just anyone.

The man went to grab my around the waist, and I dropped to a crouch on the floor, sweeping my leg out so it caught his own and sent him toppling to the floor. Before he could catch his bearing and attack again, I sprung up from my crouched position, flipping over the man with the sword and behind him.

Now that they saw I was attacking and a threat, many sprung at me at once. A swung around in one big, quick circle, swiping many of them with my blade and rendering many useless.

"Hn," one man said from where he was slumped against the wall, "it has the same amount of skill with a blade as you-"

He was cut off by the glance (what I presumed to be a glare) of the sword-man.

_I am not an _it! I mentally yelled, swiping my blade down at my next opponent with considerably more force, knocking him back into the wall.

None were dead, but all were rendered useless besides the sword-man and the leader person who had led me here.

I faced them, my katana hanging limply at my side. "Twice you have taken from me, twice I have escaped, and now I finish it all." I held my blade in front of me.

The sword-man eye's shone with anger. "What are you talking about?"

My face remained blank, but I knew my eyes were burning with more rage than the man's. "Remember those ninja you chased to get a scroll?"

The man narrowed his eyes further.

"And," I continued, "What kind of parents don't remember my own daughter."

Rage burned in the man's eyes, and I knew he was about to lunge at me before the other person placed a light hand on his arm. Their eyes shone with sadness and hope.

"Tenshi?" They asked, and it I immediately felt a pang in my heart. Of course, they remembered my sister.

"Rosuto," I corrected her, and a sad expression slipped onto her face for a moment before she corrected it with a smile.

"Welcome home." She greeted me.

I narrowed my eyes at her, and held my katana in front of me, pointed towards them. "This is not my home."

The woman pulled her hood down, revealing her chocolate brown eyes the same shade as my own, placed inside her light form and pale skin tone, and framed by masses of dark brown hair the same color as my own. "Please," She begged, choking over her words. I almost flinched at the emotion, but I couldn't let it get to me.

"You're not part of this, don't get involved." The sword-man cut in, holding his one arm out in front of her to hold her back, and using his other arm to hold out his katana. He flipped his hood back, bringing to light his icy blue eyes and black hair. My mother gasped.

"But you-" She cut in.

My father cut her off, "She should have died long ago, and now she will."

We stared at each other for a moment. Everyone said my sister and I looked just like our mother, but we were truly more like our father. We held ourselves in the same way, and we could stare someone down with the same amazing intensity we could stop people in their tracks. We also got our kekkei genkai from him.

The match began again with a clash of metal as I caught another uncalled blow from my father.

There was a flurry of steel as our weapons slashed and caught each other, not a moment's hesitation before the next blow came and the next block needed to be executed. Both of us were becoming more tired by the moment, but I could tell my father's frustration was getting to him. In one moment after my blade was extended after an attempt at an attack, he tired to strike me, and I leaned backward to avoid it. However, the blade still managed to catch me I the forehead, leaving me with an opening bleeding wound. The blood was already matting in my eyebrow, and it wouldn't be long until it reached my eye and affected my sight. That one simple disadvantage could mean the outcome of this fight.

I swiped at him, and he jumped back to avoid, my blade hitting only air.

"Stop!" My mother called desperately, chocking on sobs and unshed tears clouding her vision. The eyes I had inherited clearly showed her emotion, as they often did. My sister and I had trained as ninjas to cloud that emotion from view, but my mother hadn't had that training, and her eyes betrayed her every thought. I could feel a crack in my armour because of those eyes.

While I was distracted, my father took the opportunity to make a hand sign, before completely ignoring my mother's warning and lunging at me again, with much more energy and strength. I struggled to bring my attention back to him and block the blade in time. Blood was dribbling into my eye, cutting off my vision in that eye.

Each swipe had considerably more force, and I was struggling to defend myself, let alone lay a hit. This match would be over as soon if I didn't do something.

I flipped away from my father, sticking to the wall with my chakra. I knew that he was using our kekkei genaki, which affected the human body. We could either enhance the body or harm it, though it usually involved physical contact. However, it came at a hefty price, some time after using it, your body was harmed. Usually it was internal damage, meaning it was extremely dangerous.

However, no matter the risk, it was my only option. I made one hand sign, and I could feel the exhaustion melt away, and my body felt amazingly energized. My senses were heightened, even though my one eye was still extremely hard to see out of from the blood.

I hopped off the wall, and my father and I launched ourselves at each other, my mother's bloodcurdling scream echoing through the air in a desperate plea to end the fight.


	13. Cold

Why…? Why is it so cold? It hurts. Everything hurts.

Everything is so cold… Is it snowing? No, I don't think so. I don't even know where I am. Wait, maybe it is snowing. I see white in my vision.

Sister?

Tenshi holds one hand out to me, and I can feel the disbelief on my face as I reach out to take it. Someone is yelling in the background, but I can't hear them. Sister…

The voice gets louder, but all I want to do is block them out. Tenshi is blurring, fizzling out. I want to scream out to her, to stay, to wait. Anything.

The cold is going away, and I can feel warmth replacing it. The warmth is nice, but I want to see my sister… And the yelling is making my head hurt.

I groan and try to roll over, but something catches me, and straightens me out. I wince at the movement. The pain is coming back, but at least the shouting is gone.

I try to crack my eyes open, but one is crusted shut with something. I just open my other eye.

So it seems the Raven flew threw the darkness to find me.

I smile up at the boy who holds me, a worried expression on his face as he grimaces at the scenery in front of him. He glances down, and his onyx locks on my face.

"Rosuto?" He asks. His voice sounds pained.

"Sasuke," I comment, but it comes out as more of a croak than words. Somehow, he understands, and he cracks a small smile for a moment, before it slips away to get that worried expression.

"Don't strain yourself." He warns, and I just smile softly at him, before my eye closes and my head falls against his chest. So warm…

He takes off again, ripping some of the warmth from me, but I stay warm for the most part.

Sorry, sister. You'll have to wait. I think I've finally been found, and I'm staying around for it…


	14. Twin Eyes

Rosuto had suddenly disappeared from Konoha, sending everyone into a panic. A lot of people were expecting a replay of my disappearance, only no one knew why she had left. I had probably been the most panicked of all, but as always, I managed to keep a cool head. After years of watching, I was sure I knew Rosuto best, but I still had barely a clue where to start. It had turned out I didn't have to look far, because shortly after this thought a certain Inuzuka bumped into me.

"Hey Sasuke!" He greeted me cheerfully. Obviously he had no idea what was going on. "How's Sakura?" Some things never change… I just grunted and tried to push past him, but he grabbed my shoulder. "Woah! Slow down. I think you might be worse than Tuyteri…" Find your happy place, find your happy place, don't punch his face in.

"I'm busy." I grunted, but this obviously couldn't be the end of this.

"You're always busy." He snorted as he spun me around to face him. I just glared at him.

"Kiba, I have to go somewhere." I stated calmly.

Kiba threw his arms up in exasperation. "So? It can't be that important!"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I. Need. To. Go."

Kiba rolled his eyes. "You're the exact opposite of Tuyteri's team."

I tried to stop my eyes from widening. "What?"

Kiba smiled, he seemed happy to have gotten a reaction out of me. "Yeah, when I went on that mission a few years back, they wouldn't run. I think that's why they lost. I'm obviously the better ninja."

It took a lot of effort not to hurt Kiba at this point. However, his words gave me an idea. "… Where was this mission?"

Kiba smiled wider, revealing his canine-like fangs. "Just around this temple inside the farmlands outside of Konoha, in the middle of nowhere."

I was familiar with the temple; I had passed it a few times during missions. "Bye," and with that, I left a surprised Kiba alone in the middle of the road.

Not too long after I had set off down the road, it had started to rain. However, my hair once again defied the laws of gravity, and stayed annoying erect. A long time ago, after I had realized my crush on Rosuto, I had tried to style it similarly to Kiba and Naruto in the various spikes around my head, but my hair was impossible to style. Somehow, it stayed naturally in the shape of duck's butt.

Anyway, I continued along the road despite the rain. It didn't really matter to me, I mean, what was getting a little wet over saving a friend?

However, finding her proved more difficult than I had bargained for. After I reached the temple, I had kind of stood around awkwardly, unsure of what to do. After a while, I headed back to the path, and decided to keep walking down it until something came up.

I walked for a long time, and I was starting to get sore. Endurance never had been my thing, I liked to be fast and get something over with. The longer you waited, the more tired you got, and the more likely you were to lose. However, time was ticking away, and I had no idea what to do next.

I never did have to figure out what to do though, because I was alerted of where to look by a bloodcurdling scream that rang through the air, which was shortly followed by a deeper, rougher scream. Probably a man and a woman, but was one Rosuto? I wasn't sure if I wanted to find out, but I had to.

I spun around to face the sound, and raced off in that direction, however, I found myself face to face with the side of a cliff. After a moment of deliberation, I jumped up and stuck my feet to the wall with chakra, running up it. It didn't take me long to reach the top and swing myself over. The sound of heavy breathing carried down the hallway, as well as soft moans and wails of pain that were barely wisps by my ear. The source of the sounds must be farther away, since this place had perfect conditions for amplifying sounds.

I quickly picked up the speed I had been using going up the cliff face, and raced in the direction I thought the sounds were coming from. It was hard, considering it echoed so badly that I'd go down one hallway only to have to loop back shortly after, but I made it to the correct spot eventually. The sounds led me straight to a wall. At first I thought I'd made a mistake again and would have to go back, but then a moan came again, and I knew that couldn't be right. The sounds were too clear. In exasperation, I put a hand up on the wall to lean on, but it slipped right through. I didn't hesitate to go through the wall, and entered into an extremely dark room, where all you could see was dark with darker against it. A bunch of masses lay on the floor, the source of the sound. Something dark that shone slightly in the small amount of light that had managed its way in. Blood from a body. It smelled strongly of the liquid in the room, and if I had not been trained by Orochimaru not to be affected by everything about injury of others, it might have made me gag.

I made my way over to one of the masses, one that was moaning.

"Hello?" I spoke softly, and the person rolled over, so they could look at me.

Chocolate brown eyes looked back at me, shining softly in the minimum of light. I had to bite my lip so as not to gasp.

The person smiled a soft smile, before they grimaced and moaned softly.

"It's okay, Rosuto." I said, but the person grabbed my arm in an iron grip that surprised since they were injured.

"I'm not Rosuto." They spoke so softly I had to lean in to hear them. "Rosuto is… my daughter." I leaned away to look at the person, but they just smiled softly and laid a hand gently on my cheek. "She chose well, you are handsome, and you must be loyal to come to find her." I opened my mouth to object, but the next moment, the smile slid from her face and her expression went vacant, and her hand went limp, before slipping away from my face to land on her chest. Her eyes became dull and marble like, still shining slightly in the light to make them eerie. I hoped I'd never have to see that happen to those chocolate brown eyes again. No, I'd make sure it wouldn't.

I checked each person after that, whispering Rosuto's name each time. The second last one grabbed my arm in an iron grip when I said her name, icy blue eyes burning into mine. "Don't speak of her." He snapped, before he hissed in pain and flinched, and then locked eyes with me again. "Leave here, she deserves to die. She defied her parents and tried to kill her." This shocked me. Rosuto was so quiet and gentle… Her, a murderer? It just didn't seem like her, and it just didn't make sense in my mind.

"You're lying." I snapped with more spite in my voice than I had expected.

The man smiled a smile so creepy that it scared me. Would I have looked like that if Rosuto hadn't pulled me out of the grip of revenge? I could almost see the bloodlust in his eyes, like he was imagining numerous ways of hurting me and images of me in pain.

"You spoke to her mother?" The man said, "I'm her father. Do we seem fine?"

I wanted so much to deny what the man was saying; to throw away my cool demeanour and just scream in his face. Still, I stayed calm. "She must have a reason."

The man smiled the same creepy smile again, making me have to suppress involuntary shivers. "You're right; I guess she might be a little upset that I killed her siblings."

My eyes widened in surprise, but quickly narrowed in anger. This man was just what I thought Itachi was for so long, a cold-blooded killer that had murdered his family for barely a reason. I couldn't hold back the feelings I had been for so long, and punched the man square in the face. He cried out in surprise and pain.

"Bastard- You-" I spoke between punches, "Killed- Your- Family? The only people- who ever- cared for you? Ones who had- A much longer- time to live- than you? People- who deserved- to live- more than- you scum!" I threw my hardest punch then, before pulling back and glaring at the man with the most intensity I could muster. The man stared back at me, but his bloody face made him seem much less intimidating.

"Who are you?"

"The last of the other clan that was murdered by one of its own, Uchiha Sasuke."

The man smirked. "My daughter's gotten better than she deserves; a genius and a real survivor instead of a coward and a lucky break like she had."

That earned him another punch in the face. He grimaced at the shot and his expression went slack, leaving dull open eyes. He was dead, but I hoped he'd died less peacefully than the woman who claimed to be Rosuto's mother.

I heard a mumble next to us, and looked over towards the sound to see the last person, huddled into a ball as though they were cold. I glared at the man one last time and stood up from my place crouched over him, taking one step to close the distance between me and the last person.

"Rosuto?" I said softly, and the person, shifted slightly, but didn't move. I leaned closer in the hopes to make out any of the person's features. I instantly recognized the face, and froze. My fears were coming true, with the image of her hair soaked in blood. I wasn't sure whose blood it was.

I lifted her into my arms, and left the room and into the poorly lit hallway, which was at least brighter than that room. I quickly noticed the wound on her forehead, but to my relief, it wasn't near fatal. Still, it was deep, and could get infected if left alone for long.

I rushed outside, trying to find the correct way out through the tons of winding hallways. There wasn't any moaning to follow us this time.

Once we were outside, I tried to wake Rosuto up as we walked, and I had made it to the point where I was travelling through the trees when she opened her eyes. I stopped jumping, and landed on a branch, then looked down. Our eyes connected, and I could feel my heartbeat speed up with both the close proximity between us and the memory of the same chocolate eyes of her mother that burned into mine like her father's gaze had. I didn't doubt she was their daughter anymore, but I pitied the thought.

"Rosuto?" I question, testing her ability to hear and respond to me. I'm surprised by the worry in my voice which makes my voice sound more like a croak than anything.

Rosuto stares at me for a moment, whether in surprise or just a blank stare, I'm not sure. "Sasuke," She says simply, as if to confirm to herself who I am. The sound of her voice and the fact that she spoke my name sends shivers up my spine, which I immediately feel ashamed of.

"Don't strain yourself," I tell her, and she nods softly, before nuzzling her head into my chest, which makes me hesitate from surprise, and I can feel the heat rush up to my face. This surprises me. The cold, stoic boy who never reacts when fan girls are throwing themselves at him, blushing? I look down at Rosuto one last time before taking off running again, carrying her with ease. She is lighter than I predicted. I think of this as well as my surroundings, in the hopes that I can distract myself, but it doesn't work for long.

What had happened?

This is the thought that runs through my head constantly. I glance down at Rosuto again, wondering if she is unconscious or merely asleep. I know nothing of medical conditions. Should I keep her awake?

God, she still makes me turn to mush.

I grunt and turn my attention to the path before me, but I still am extremely aware of the girl in my arms, who faintly resembles a fallen angel. I'm the only one who could make that comparison, aren't I?

This is going to be a long trip to Konoha.

She shifts in her sleep, and I can't help but feel like I'm invading her privacy by watching her sleep. Though it does feel kind of nice… Bad Sasuke! You are not a pervert… At least, I think I'm not. No, don't doubt it!

Crap, I'm having an argument with myself. Now I can be truly classified as insane.

Rosuto shifts slightly in my arms again, and snuggles her head into my chest as she does so. I hesitate, and I can feel the heat rush up to my face. Even though she had just done this, it still flusters me. Oh, what people would do if they saw me now…


	15. Waking Up

Waking up is painful.

My whole body seems to ache, even worse than that mission so long ago. This confuses me at first, since I don't remember what happened. Shortly after, the memory comes back, but I am still confused. I may have worked myself harder, but it was a much shorter time span. Although, last time it seemed that I was only running, and I didn't use my bloodline.

Anyway, where the hell am I?

I open my eyes, only to close them shortly after. It's a little too bright, and this time I take my time so as to adjust. Once my eyes are open, I look around the room, and something at the edge of my vision catches my eye. My head falls to that side so I can see it.

There, asleep on a chair, is the famous duck-butt haired, stoic, Uchiha Sasuke.

Well, that was about the last thing I expected. I guess he only wanted to check that I'd end up okay, considering he was the one who found me, but I know this is wrong. I immediately feel bad for leaving him like I did, considering how he was treating me before I left. Better than I deserved to be treated. I should have told him, he was an avenger after all, so he might understand. Still, he had changed, so he might have convinced me not to, which I couldn't risk.

I am about to try to go back to sleep so as not to disturb him, when his eyes flutter open, but unlike me, they seem unaffected by the light. Instead, they are immediately locked on me, and our eyes connect. My stomach flips, which is unfamiliar feeling to me. Am I starting to be like one of his fan girls, and I was just a late bloomer? Will he push me away once he realizes I'm getting feelings for him, and continue on with his life now that all girls like him? I push the thought from my head.

"Sasuke?"

"Rosuto,"

Funny, I think we just did that, only reversed… Well, maybe our positions are reversed.

Sasuke gets up from his place on the chair, only to sit down again after standing awkwardly for a moment. "How are you feeling?" He asked as he looked down at his hands, which are in his lap. He seemed reluctant to meet my eyes.

"I'm fine. I'm a ninja after all; we'll probably go through much worse."

Sasuke frowned, and I can tell he isn't happy to hear this. I must have worried him more than I thought.

"Sasuke, stop worrying. You can't protect everyone all the time; and you probably shouldn't try. We're ninjas, and we're going to get hurt one way or another, maybe even die." I stated, and Sasuke flinches at my words.

"Rosuto, you need rest." He said, and I know he just doesn't want to listen to me. I look into his eyes for a moment; the steely mask he always has on, for once I seem to be able to see through it, straight to the pain and worry underneath. For the first time, just like all his fan girls, I am mesmerized by them, only I know I see something different from them.

We have kissed twice, but both times he has kissed me, and I feel almost nothing.

While I'm hypnotised, I reached out and cupped his cheek with my hand. His face wass evident with surprise.

"What-"

I cut him off by leaning across the narrow strip of floor that separates me in my bed from him in his chair, and presssed my lips to his.


	16. Kiss

My mind was blank.

My eyes were open, but hers are closed. All I saw were her closed lids, and strands of her beautiful dark hair standing out against her skin.

It takes a few seconds to register what is going on, and by then Rosuto had pulled away, and immediately tipped her head down so her bangs covered her eyes. Why the hell hadn't I reacted? Now she'd think I hated her, or at least didn't like her.

My mind was on a one-way track now, so I was barely in control when I stood up and leaned over her place sitting on the hospital bed, trapping her and supporting myself with an arm on each side of her. She looks up with a startled expression, but I don't let any words escape, and press my own lips to hers. Her reaction was quicker and more involved than any kiss we'd had before, and she immediately kissed back and wrapped her arms around my neck and tangles her hands in my hair. Both my mind and heart seem to stop.

However, the kiss didn't last long, because we both heard her door open, and we pulled apart to look.

I immediately regret not pulling away from my position so close to Rosuto.

Standing in the doorway was Kiba, Tuyteri, and Sakura.

Surprisingly, Sakura was the first to recover, and coughed to alert everyone else. I immediately pulled away from Rosuto to stand next to her bedside.

"Um, Sasuke, we need you for battle."

These words echoed through my head a few times before they compute.

"Battle…?" Rosuto echoed, and I can hear the worry plain in her voice. I could feel something pang through me knowing that she cares about what happens to me, and I subconsciously stood a little straighter.

"Konoha is being attacked."

Rosuto's expression hardened and she swung her legs out from under the sheets, standing on the wobbly limbs before any of us knew what was going on.

Sakura and I lunged towards her at the same time. I was faster, and I grab her to support her, but she gave me a stubborn glare and ripped her arms from my grip.

We all watched as Rosuto stalked from the room, her voice following her retreating form. "Let's go."

I suddenly wondered where the shy, calm and peaceful Rosuto had gone, and how the cold, detached, determined Rosuto we saw now had come to be. I wondered if it was my fault from leaving.


	17. Nightmare

The scene was much more gruesome than I had predicted. More bodies than Orochimaru had ever used for his experiments to destroy lay scattered across the ground, although I didn't know if they were from Konoha or not.

I watched Rosuto's face harden. This seemed to remind her of something she had seen before, although I really didn't want to know what.

"Kiba, where's the enemy?" She asked, suddenly taking charge.

Kiba didn't waste time questioning it as I thought he would, considering his bossiness that I remembered from our childhood before I left for sound. Instead, he sniffed the air and directed us the right direction. The five of us took to the air, Kiba in the lead so he could follow the scent.

He stopped in the main square, where most trading went on. It was odd to see it so eerily empty, when it was nearly always bustling with activity. Today, it was full of a different activity; ninjas fighting each other. The enemies seemed weaker, but they had the advantage in numbers.

We didn't waste any time; Tuyteri went to help the ninja on the other side of the square, and Sakura started to go around healing people. Kiba jumped straight into a technique I hadn't seen (Remember that Kiba invented gatsuuga after Sasuke went to sound) and he and Akamaru spun so fast they were barely blurs.

Rosuto and I pulled out our swords, and hers was out so fast it had already slashed an enemy before I had mine fully out of the sheath. She was obviously more experienced with the sword, probably because she mainly used it where I used chidori with it.

Both of us were taking down a lot of opponents, but I could tell Rosuto was having trouble blocking the ninjutsu attacks, and she was starting to become swamped since the enemy had seen this and were using ninjutsu against rather than taijutsu.

Rosuto panted hard from where she was standing after having just barely dodged a fire attack. "Sasuke, you can fight without your sword, right?"

"Yeah-"

"Give it to me," She ordered.

I wanted to object, but the look on face suggested otherwise, so instead of wasting precious time arguing, I threw the sword to her. She caught it easily with her left hand, allowing her to have one sword in each hand.

With the newly acquired weapon, she took off, a blur of motion. She stopped at the end of a line of enemies, swords extended to the sides and slightly behind her like wings.

Everything seemed to become slow motion; and I was painfully aware of the crimson spots seeping through clothing and the horrified faces of the injured. The slow motion just allowed my brain to process everything, to burn it into my mind so it can haunt me in both nightmares and daylight. The injured stared down at their wounds in awe, too shocked to make any sort of move to preserve themselves. Screaming started when people realised bloody limbs were missing, and the pain started to catch up with their mind once they had registered the shock.

It was more horrible than the massacre. With the massacre, I only saw the after effects; I didn't hear every terrified scream and see each blood stain and pained face. It was like living my most horrible nightmare, where I watched my parents being killed by my brother's hand. I had two tortures now that were burned into my mind, my family being murdered by family, and watching my loved one kill strangers with barely a thought.

Both were inescapable. Both terrified me.


	18. Identity Confusion

Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry to my readers! I've had this chapter a few more for while, and I forgot to put them up! I apologize to you all! The only thing I have to make up for it though is the chapters and the always forgotten dislcaimer!

Dislcaimer: I don't own Naruto. However, I do own Rosuto and the rest of team nine, as well as her family and quite a bit of the plot line. There, I'm done.

* * *

I was extremely relieved when the fight ended.

The five of us were crouched in a circle, silent except for panting as we tried to catch our breath first.

"Wow- That was- awesome." Kiba breathed through intakes of breath.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "You like- Konoha being- attacked?" She asked.

Kiba shook his head. "No, the girl- she was awesome- at fighting."

All heads turned to Rosuto, who had an annoyed look on her face. "I have a name."

Kiba shrugged. "But you won't tell me it."

Team 9 and I gave him a disbelieving look. Sakura seemed to be confused of what was going on.

"You know," Kiba mused, "You kind of remind of Hikoya. You're mean- to me at least- and you have a superior attitude of me. You're stronger than him, though, so I think you'd make a better rival. Whadda say?"

All Kiba got in reply was the sound of footsteps pounding down a street somewhere nearby, but out of sight.

"What's her problem?" He asked with an annoyed tone, obviously oblivious.

I could have hit myself. For the second time, while I had been paying attention to the knuckle-headed Inuzuka, I had let Rosuto slip away.

"Where'd she go, anyway?" Kiba asked.

We all turned to Tuyteri for an answer. "I know where she's going, but I don't actually know where that is."

Kiba face palmed for me. "Seriously?"

Tuyteri shrugged. "It's the place she always used to go to with Hikoya, but only the two of them knew where it was. At least, that's my guess."

Kiba gave us all a quizzical look. "She knew Hikoya?"

Tuyteri took on an annoyed expression and twitched. "She was on his team, after all."

"Really?" Kiba continued, still disbelieving. "Was she added to your team before he died or something?"

Tuyteri glared at the space in front of him. "No, Rosuto was always on our team."

"I know _Rosuto_ was always on your team," Kiba said in an irritated tone, "but what about that girl?"

I was now seriously wondering how someone could be so stupid.


	19. Poison

There was only one thought on my mind.

There was no such thing as comrades or team mates, or someone who was worried about me and was looking for me now.

There was only the thought of the lost. Of my little brother, of my sister, of Hikoya. But mostly it was of my parents, of the blood on my hands that mostly wasn't my own. Of the sight of two swords piercing two different bodies, the thought that neither of them were my own doing nothing to damper the pain.

My father's sword through my mother's body. My sword through his.

This was evoking more emotion out of me than the pain that haunted me of that I had felt when poison coursed through my system while I wasn't entirely immune; more so than all of my worry towards my team mates whenever they fought in missions or amongst themselves; more so than my childish crush on the Inuzuka boy or my hate for him now; or even more so than the resent I had felt towards my father after the murders of a select few I had dear.

I had murdered him. And thus I was no better than him. I was a murderer. I had murdered my family, just like he had.

My walking burst into a run as uncontrollable tears burst from my eyes. I was bolting down the streets so fast that even though I was earning attention, no one could see my face, let alone my tears. I barely saw the street I ran on as tortuous images ran through my head. Instead, my feet led me, on a path worn in my mind by time. Even if I never came from this direction, I knew this place better than any other.

As soon as I reached the place along the bank of the creek I always went to, my legs gave out under me, and I fell face first on the ground as my tears left soft splotches on the ground before the earth soaked it up.

I suddenly remembered the poison. How the hell could I forget that? This must be a different version though, working days later instead of hours. But who needed a poison that worked quickly when you had a bloodline that allowed you to torture so greatly people would rather be dead than experience the pain?

Was my immunity still in effect after all these years of giving up using the poison? Would it even matter since it might be a different poison completely?

Would I die here?

Would I die here, having hidden so well that no one would find me until it was already too late? Who would come to my funeral, besides Tuyteri and Sasuke, who I knew would? Would I even have a funeral? Would everyone forget me after my death, just like Hikoya? How long after my death would they forget?

I was going to die here.

My heartbeat was loud in my ears, and I could have sworn my heart was in my ears if I didn't know my human autonomy so well. However, this did not just symbolise my fear, it also sped up how fast the poison spread through my body.

Don't let me die here. I want to die with someone who loves me, or who I love. I could have died years ago, with my sister or Hikoya. Here it was so alone, and so quiet. There was nothing to distract from the sound of every pained breath, every rapid heart beat, and every panicked thought. There was nothing to distract me from the un-describable pain in my body.

The hospital must have missed it. They wouldn't have tested for poison in my body; they would've only looked for wounds and internal damage caused from both the fight and my bloodline.

And there was nothing to distract me from the sound of approaching footsteps.


	20. Searching

I couldn't listen to the Inuzuka heir's blabber any longer, and so my legs took off on their own and were pounding down the road without so much as a goodbye. Kiba shouted something back at me with obvious annoyance in my voice, but I didn't catch it, neither did I care.

The first place I visited was the bridge we had our… encounter, a few years back. After all, what did you have left to live for if you had lost your comrade ad team mate… maybe even more.

Luckily, she wasn't there, and I also scanned the water for a while to make sure.

The next place I looked was the Ramen shop. Yeah, stupid, I know, considering I was more likely to find a spiky blonde dobe than her, but it was one of the places I remembered the most when I was associating places and her. Probably because I used to watch her a lot when she passed by there. Wow, how did I not notice how stalker-ish that was? Anyway, off topic…

The next place I raced to was her training ground, which was again, frustratingly empty. I grunted and sat down on the ground, activating my Sharingan subconsciously from my frustration and anger.

Out in the woods, my Sharingan sensed a form. I immediately leaped to my feet, completely unaware of anything but the form that was lying on the ground.

But their chakras were receding. And fast.

I broke into a run, wishing it was her and yet wishing it wasn't.

The moment I reached the person, I noticed two things in unison. One, the dark brown hair that defiantly identified that this was Rosuto, and that she was tensing her body so badly that I knew she was in extreme pain.

But how? How could she be so badly in pain, when she had no injuries? When she had just been in the hospital? Had the fight re-opened some of her wounds?

I didn't question further, and instead gently slung an arm of Rosuto's across my shoulders. God, I just had to pick the girl that got hurt all the time.

It didn't take me long to find Sakura and the others. They hadn't moved from where they I had left them, and they all stared when I carried Rosuto towards them.

"Sakura,"

That was all I had to say for Sakura to snap out of it and go into full medical mode. She rushed over to me and took Rosuto from me, laying her gently on the ground before hovering her glowing green hands over her.

I watched, and then I noticed that Rosuto's chakras were still going down. I growled in annoyance, and Sakura flinched, but I didn't notice at the moment. "Her chakras are still going down!" I snapped, and Sakura looked up at me to notice my Sharingan.

"Sasuke, help me get her to the hospital. I don't have the resources to treat her here."

Without complaint, I lifted Rosuto and stalked off towards the hospital without a word of consent. Sakura followed silently behind; Kiba jogged to keep up with my fast walking pace, asking questions the whole way; and Tuyteri hovered on the edge of the group, and I couldn't read his emotions at all.

I didn't waste time at the hospital, and placed Rosuto in a stretcher that a nurse rolled away immediately while Sakura barked orders at randomly passing people (sometimes people who didn't even work in the hospital) who shrunk away from her power. I caught only one word: _poison_.


	21. Explanation

Yay! One of the rare of the rare chapters from Kiba's point of view! I love Kiba's last line, I know it was kind of off from the seriousness from most of the chapter, but I just had to put it in. XD Anway, enjoy after my nearly always forgotten disclaimer.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. But I do own this story and everything I made up in it which I am too lazy to name.

* * *

Okay, what the hell was going on?

I had talked about Hikoya around the girl, and she ran away. Sasuke left when I asked why. Sakura and Tuyteri wouldn't answer my questions, and were only wondering where their two missing team mates were. When the two got back, the girl was practically dead from where she was leaning against Sasuke, even though she had absolutely no injuries. Nobody would answer my questions on the way to the hospital.

Why was everyone acting like such idiots? I wanted to punch someone.

Akamaru whimpered from next to me. He didn't like hospitals. The smelled too much like blood, and we had too many bad experiences here. I wasn't paying attention to whatever of my own discomfort towards hospitals in my pissed off attitude.

Tuyteri came to the waiting room I was in, and immediately started to pace once the nurse had left. The nurse had been hot, and I know I would've talked to her if she kicked me in her like she had to Tuyteri, but once again, Tuyteri was acting inhuman. I think he was oblivious to humans.

Tuyteri's face moved into a scowl as he continued to pace. What was his problem?

"Dude, what's going on?" I asked with an agitated tone.

Tuyteri paused momentarily to glance at me before continuing to pace. "They detected poison in Rosuto's system. They're trying to come up with a cure as fast as possible. There isn't a very good time limit."

I frowned. "You people are all crazy. Rosuto is _dead_. She has been for years."

Tuyteri let out an exasperated sigh before stopping and turning to face me. "You're an idiot. About a week after you came back successful from the mission, Rosuto returned alone. She wouldn't tell us what happened, but we could tell that Hikoya wasn't coming back."

Tuyteri narrowed his eyes. "She wouldn't stop training until she couldn't walk. I never understood why, until she asked me to help her train and we got a little closer. She told me what really happened on the mission." He paused as he watched me carefully, and I knew he expected his next words to evoke emotion out of me. "Apparently she called to you for help, and it never came. Then they were attacked, and Hikoya died shortly after both of them woke up." Tuyteri paused, and his look turned into a glare. It was fully directed at me. "Rosuto never blamed you. I, however, do."

Tuyteri glared a deeper glare, and he scowled. "You left your team mates to defend themselves, and one died. You left the burden of the death on the other forever. I'm not sure if you know this, but Rosuto was in the hospital a few days back as well from a fight she had. She was fighting Hikoya's killers."

I was stunned beyond words; not a common occurrence for me.

"Now you know what happened, so I suggest you shut your mouth and feel guilty for once." Tuyteri suggested before resuming his pacing.

I however, grinned instead. "So… does this mean you actually have feelings? That you're worried for Rosuto? That you want to steal her from Hikoya or Sasuke?"

He glanced at me for a moment, only quick enough for me to catch his glare. He didn't stop pacing. "I have never been interested in Rosuto, and neither was Hikoya." He quieted for a moment, and his mouth pursed in thought. "But Sasuke… I could always see him watching her. I just hope he doesn't get too close. He doesn't seem the type to commit, and even if he does, I know a lot of girls will get at Rosuto's throat."

I rolled my eyes and slumped against my seat, resting my arms along the top of the seats. "Dude, you totally need a girlfriend."


	22. Cure

Sakura's P.O.V.!

Discalimer: I don't own Naruto. But I do own whatever I made up in this story.

* * *

This was a complete race against time. Kankuro's poisoning had pushed my medical knowledge, but with that case we had some knowledge on the person who had poisoned them and the area they were from so that we knew which supplies where available to them.

Here, we had less time, less knowledge, less _everything._

I knew absolutely nothing except that she was poisoned, and that was frustrating for me since I always knew everything. Maybe that's why the medical track was so stressing for me; almost every case was a mystery at the beginning.

We had already extracted as much poison from Rosuto as possible, but it would only hold her off for so long. Eventually, the traces of poison that we couldn't remove we build up again and continue to wreck their damage on her body. We didn't have enough time or information.

This wasn't a regular case. There was so much more weighing on this. Rosuto was one of our own, one of the old rookie twelve of our year. And today, everyone had discovered the feelings between her and Sasuke, or Sasuke towards her at least. As his former team mate (I had now moved on from my crush on him) I had always wanted to help him and desperately wanted to find him even years after he had left; and I still wanted to help him. Rosuto and I had never really been all that close since my outgoing and loud personality made her own shy and quiet one seem utterly boring to me, but I felt I owed her something. All of us girls had always witnessed her alone, but we passed by her with barely a thought. Now that I saw what being alone did to people, I wanted to help her to make up for it.

My hands contradicted the usual strength I brought to everything outside of healing as I carefully sketched the outline of a body and jotted down the substances we had found in the poison. With the skill I had learned from years of experience, I started the unknown amount of time the process to make the antidote would take.

I didn't care how long it would take as long as it was in time and there was a cure.

Rosuto would live. I would make sure.


	23. Emotion

Yay! Last chapter! I thank all of you who stayed with me through this whole story, since I know I _really_ slowed down my updates part way through this series. Thank you all! And remember, I don't own Naruto, even though I own the bad memory that lets me never remember to put in the disclaimer!

~Tigerstripe

I could only feel one emotion when Rosuto awoke. Pure relief.

She was alive. She was _alive_.

For the first time, I hadn't list something I held dear. For once, I wouldn't have to throw away every trace of emotion to avenge the ones I had felt for others.

She was _alive_.

There wasn't a more glorious thing at the time.

Slowly, her eyes had blinked open, seeming distant and dreamy and glazed over before they focused and became that beautiful chocolate brown that was like a well of emotion. You could practically read her mind through them, and right now, it was mostly confusion.

I sat on the edge of her bed, avoiding contact but allowing it to her should she want it.

Rosuto sat up slowly, her gaze flickering around the room, always resting on me more often than the other places and always a fraction of second longer until she had analyzed the room and was comfortable with leaving her gaze to rest solely on me.

She didn't question. She never asked what happened, why I was here, what was going on. All she did was stare; leaving us in a comfortable silence while she passed unspoken words to me through her eyes.

Then in one fluid movement, she moved forward so as to press her lips to my own.

The beeping in the room sped up; telling me her heartbeat was too. I couldn't deny the mad thumping of my own heart.

This kiss was so different from all the others we'd had. This one wasn't for the want of the feeling of the other's lips on our own; this was one of pure, raw need. Rosuto was defenceless, unwillingly having her barricades taken down. She was more vulnerable than she was comfortable with, but it allowed her to let of her emotion out. I could feel her every feeling pass through our lips, mostly previous as it came out in a rush like a torrent of water. Happiness, envy, content, sadness, anger, loneliness, insanity, and most of all… a mad rush of the need to avenge.

I didn't know what had happened to her. I didn't want to know. All I knew was that for so long she had been more like me than I had known. Rosuto was letting me see all of it, when I knew she wasn't fully ready to trust again. She needed someone to let see all of this, or she would lose herself or go insane, or both.

Through the kiss, I showed her I would guide her and protect her with a gentleness I showed no other, without hurting her or controlling her; just like I was doing with her lips.

And she let me. We needed each other. I needed someone to show me what to do, and she needed someone to do it.

For the first time since my parent's death, I felt complete.


End file.
